N.J. crime victim services get $2.1M in federal grants

The state attorney general's office announced today almost $2.1 million in grants for crime victim services that will be parceled out to 49 programs around New Jersey.

The grants, funded by the federal Victims of Crime Act, are a precursor to another $2.4 million expected from the federal stimulus plan.

Jennifer Brown/The Star-LedgerJack Wurgaft of the trustee board of Partners for Women and Justice, and Jane Hanson, Executive Director, discuss a court decision in her Montclair office. The organization, a group of lawyers helping battered and abused women, received $82,500 in grants.

"These grants support the vital work of agencies that are meeting the needs of crime victims with quality services," Attorney General Anne Milgram said in a statement. "Whether it is counseling, legal assistance, or something as basic as temporary housing, these agencies offer crime victims what they need when they need it the most."

Grants ranged from $23,505 to the $55,000 maximum.

One Montclair-based organization, Partners for Women & Justice, received two grants for a total of $82,500. Executive Director Jane Hanson said part of the money will go toward staff and programs at the Family Justice Center, which she hopes will open at the end of the year. The rest will support legal defense for women suffering domestic abuse.

Hanson said the grant funds almost the entire program, which she said has provided legal assistance at 500 restraining order hearings since 2005.

"It's essential," she said. "We couldn't do it without it."

State officials said New Jersey nonprofits have received more than $21.3 million in grants from the Victims of Crime Act in the last seven years.